I recently bought myself a new piece of equipment which I, hoping will enhance my blog. I have purchased a GoPro Hero5 Black. My first venture out with the GoPro attached was just a short but awesome ride to Piha Beach. Piha Beach is a popular surf beach on the west coast of Auckland. I grew up swimming at Piha but for the uninitiated, it is a dangerous swimming spot with many lives taken or almost taken due to not understanding the conditions.
As you will see from the footage, it is also popular with sightseers as it is beautiful. Also, bikers really enjoy this ride & I'm sure you'll see why. The road from Piha to Piha Beach is a steep descending windy road so I have included a gradient map as well as a map of the route so you can appreciate why it is a popular ride.
My journey starts at the entrance of the Waitakere Ranges, Scenic Drive. At this point, I need to mention that if you love challenging or non-challenging hikes/tramps with beautiful New Zealand native plants, then this is most definitely a place not to miss.
Back to the ride, I started the ride at the roundabout joining Titirangi Road to Scenic Drive. Travelling along Scenic Drive with its twists and turns & a few climbs was an enjoyable start. This ride can be at times a little frustrating due to being the gateway to so many walks & beaches so there is often a bit of traffic. Often those who are not familiar with driving these kinds of roads.
Scenic Drive starts with loose bends and then the bends tighten up & become steeper. This is a lot of fun. The road open ups a bit with varying gradients but there are still some lovely bends.
About 9KM into the ride, you turn off Scenic Drive onto Piha Road. This is where the road really opens up for about 6KM before starting the descent towards Piha Beach. Once you start your descent, you often have a steep drop on your left‐hand side which gives you amazing views of the beach below.
There are some places to stop to enjoy the view & take some photos, however, this can be pretty crowded. At these lookout spots, you can also encounter some really stupid & selfish drivers so keep an eye out for cars stopping suddenly or quickly crossing the road to snap a park at the lookouts.
Regardless of the drivers, you will enjoy the ride down to the beach & once you reach the bottom of the hill, keep going straight & follow the road to end up on Marine Parade. Riding along the parade you won't have any real view of the beach but you'll be able to find somewhere to park & after climbing the dune that blocks the beach be prepared for some stunning views.
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